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BAK

JF-Expert Member

Thailand's Supreme Court has ruled that former PM Thaksin Shinawatra's family should be stripped of more than half a contested $2.3bn fortune.The court said $1.4bn ($910m) of the assets were gained illegally through conflict of interest when Mr Thaksin was prime minister. The funds were frozen after Mr Thaksin's elected government was overthrown in a military coup in 2006. Mr Thaksin, who is living abroad, has denied any wrongdoing. It was not yet clear if the outstanding $900m will be returned to Mr Thaksin. The court took several hours to deliver its verdict, with security forces on high alert amid government predictions of violence by Mr Thaksin's red-shirted supporters if the court decision went against him.